After Injury, Tony Little Told Himself: 'You Can Do It!'
As part of a series called "My Big Break," All Things Considered is collecting stories of triumph, big and small. These are the moments when everything seems to click, and people leap forward into their careers.
You probably recognize him as the energized muscle man with the ponytail selling his exercise machine, The Gazelle, on late-night infomercials: Tony Little, also known as America's Personal Trainer.
He's been into bodybuilding since his teenage years. After a knee injury playing football in high school, he was taken off the field and into the weight room.
"I wasn't allowed to take gym class because my knee would pop out of joint," Little says. "I sat down and talked to the principal and said to him, 'Hey, listen, I'm really a physical guy. This is driving me nuts not to have gym class. Is it possible that if I lifted weights, could I get credits for gym class if I was working out?' "
The school made an exception for him, and Little discovered a passion for bodybuilding.
"I entered my first contest and won it and then entered my second contest and won it," he says. "Right after my second contest, I mean, I was offered sponsorships. And I did become Mr. Florida, so that was pretty cool."
Little was on track to the prestigious Mr. America competition back in the early '80s. He says he had a real shot at winning back then.
"Maybe three to five weeks out from being in it, I was driving," he says, "and a loaded school bus ran a red light. It's like everything turned slow motion when you see the yellow."
The bus slammed into his car.
"I was more adrenaline-freaked-out that it was a school bus than anything," he says. "So I hopped out of the car and tried to help, and the bus driver locked the door."
He later found out that the bus driver was drunk.
Little was lucky to be alive, but his dreams of becoming Mr. America were shattered.
"I had three herniated discs out of the five lower lumbar disks in my back," Little says. "And I had a vertebrae in my neck that was protruding, was hitting the nerves in my right shoulder and arm."
He says he was in excruciating pain. For the next two years, he was cooped up in a small condo without a job and without any exercise.
"You start upping the painkillers and drinking alcohol," Little says. "And all it was doing was just putting me down, down, down, down. And just getting depressed upon depressed upon depressed."
Most of his time was spent watching TV. And that's exactly what got him back on his feet.
Little happened to flip on one of Jane Fonda's exercise programs.
"She was starting a revolution [to get people to] do group exercise, which I thought was pretty cool," Little says. "Because she had a video, I wanted a video too, you know?"
He was motivated enough to leave his condo and go to the local cable company to inquire about his own televised exercise program.
"Fifteen shows for $5,500 and you can have your own show on TV at 250,000 homes," he says. "I said, 'OK, I'll do it.' "
It was his big break.
"And that's when I started, 'You can do it!' " Little says. "You got to believe in yourself, man. We only have one shot in life and you got to make it a solid one. And sometimes it might have to be a hundred shots."
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Transcript
TESS VIGELAND, HOST:
Now, for the latest installment of our series My Big Break about career triumphs big and small.
(SOUNDBITE OF INFOMERCIAL)
TONY LITTLE: Yeah, baby. You can do it.
VIGELAND: If you've ever landed on an infomercial channel in the middle of the night, you know this guy - a muscleman with a ponytail working out on an exercise machine called The Gazelle.
(SOUNDBITE OF INFOMERCIAL)
LITTLE: How about a butt squeeze?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Oh.
LITTLE: Yeah, I see you wanted to touch.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: That's a good one.
VIGELAND: Tony Little, who calls himself America's Personal Trainer, has been into bodybuilding since he was a teenager. After a knee injury playing football in high school, he was taken off the field and into the weight room.
LITTLE: I wasn't allowed to take gym class because my knee would pop out of joint. I sat down and talked to the principal and said to him, you know, hey listen, I'm really a physical guy. This is driving me nuts not to have gym class. Is it possible that if I lifted weights, could I get credit for gym class if I was working out?
And he made a special exception, and they allowed me to work out for my gym credits. So every day, I went to work out and lift weights. And I entered my first contest and won it. And then I entered my second contest and then I won it. And then right after my second contest, I mean, I was offered sponsorship. And I did became Mr. Florida. So that was pretty cool.
I was a favorite for the Mr. America. I forget when it was now. I think it was '81. Maybe three to five weeks out from being in it, I was driving, and a loaded school bus ran a red light - it's like everything turned slow-motion when you see the yellow - and came right into my door and drug me a couple hundred yards.
I was more adrenaline-freaked-out that it was a school bus than anything. So I hopped out of the car and tried to help, and the bus driver locked the door. But in the long run, the driver was charged not only running the red light, but the driver was drunk.
I had three herniated discs out of the five lower lumbar disks in my back. And I had a vertebrae in my neck - a disk - that was protruding, was hitting the nerves in my right shoulder and arm.
I spent two years in a little condominium without a job and without training. And you start upping the painkillers and drinking alcohol. And all it was doing was just putting me down, down, down, down - and just getting depressed upon depressed upon depressed. My big break - watching TV - that's when I saw Jane Fonda.
(SOUNDBITE OF EXERCISE VIDEO)
JANE FONDA: Are you ready to do the workout?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESSES: Yeah.
(APPLAUSE)
LITTLE: You know, she was starting a revolution of people to start to do group exercise, which I thought was pretty cool. Because she had a video, I wanted a video too, you know?
(SOUNDBITE OF EXERCISE VIDEO)
FONDA: Four.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESSES: Woo.
FONDA: Five.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESSES: Woo.
FONDA: Six.
LITTLE: It got me motivated to go down to the local cable company and see if I could do my own television show at Westinghouse Cable Company, and 15 shows for $5,500 and you can have your own show on TV in 250,000 homes. And I said OK, I'll do it.
(SOUNDBITE OF EXERCISE VIDEO)
LITTLE: It takes a little sweat, a little determination. And you can change it all. You can change it all. You can get great thighs.
(MUSIC)
LITTLE: And then that's when I started, you know, you can do it, you know?
(SOUNDBITE OF EXERCISE VIDEO)
LITTLE: You can do it. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself.
OK, you got to believe in yourself, man. We only have one shot in life and you've got to make it a solid one. And sometimes it might have to be 100 shots.
(MUSIC)
VIGELAND: Tony Little - America's Personal Trainer. You don't have to exercise on a Gazelle to have a big break. Send us your story at mybigbreak@NPR.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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